Dutch police raid recycling business

In a statement, Dutch police said that on Monday evening (8 January) three men were arrested after a drug discovery – 40 kilos of cocaine were found in a container.

With a large number of police and vehicles at the premises, the company has been widely named in the Dutch media and on Twitter as the Van Puijfelik Recycling business with the company owner reported as not knowing about the raid.

The police statement [translated from Dutch] noted: “On Monday evening the police intervened after information had arrived that the container was transported from Antwerp to a paper processing company in Oosterhout. When the container was parked in a warehouse of the company and the door was closed, the entrance team forced the entrance door with a large car. Three men in the shed, two Dutch from Ridderkerk and Breda and a man from the Dominican Republic were immediately arrested. In addition to the deployment of the arrest team, a helicopter and drone were also deployed.”

Investigation

The police said they have subsequently carried out a house search in Breda and Ridderkerk. “A firearm was found during this search. The police continue with the investigation. The men are being introduced to the examining magistrate in Amsterdam this week.”

A police spokesman told letsrecycle.com that the arrested men are expected to appear before magistrates on Friday 12 January.

2013

In 2013 letsrecycle.com reported that Van Puijfelik BV was facing bankruptcy and it went into receivership (see letsrecycle.com story). The business also faced difficulties over exports to China. On 12 September 2013 it was officially declared bankrupt.

Oosterhut

A paper recycling business was later launched at premises at Oostherhuut under the name Van Puijfelik Recycling.

The company operates on an international scale and has had customers in the UK. A comment on the raid has been requested from the company and is expected soon.

Local newspaper NL Times  referring to the raid, quotes the owner of the company as saying that the police had told him nothing and he had not been allowed to enter the premises.